A dispute over classified information has put on hold the court-martial of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on charges of desertion and cowardice.
Col. Jeffrey Nance, the judge in the case, issued a stay in the proceedings while an appeals court rules on what classified information the Bergdahl defense team can receive from the prosecution.
The military requested the delay, claiming an “abundance of caution” because some of the information sought hadn’t been cleared with federal classification authorities.
According to CNN, the Bergdahl defense team has said in court documents that it has only received access to 1 percent of the classified information it has sought.
If convicted on the two counts, violations of Article 85 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (desertion to shirk hazardous duty) and Article 99 (misbehavior before the enemy), Bergdahl could be imprisoned for life.
The two sides are hashing out pre-trial motions currently and an actual court-martial on the merits of the case isn’t scheduled until August, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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